Beck’s Last Gamble
To everyone but Reich President Ludwig Beck, the war was lost. He was convinced that the French were stretched to thin and that a decisive counter blow could be dealt. A large counteroffensive would provoke the French High Command to rush in reinforcements from the north. This would in turn take the pressure off the badly battered forces in the north that were desperately trying to fend off the French advance towards the capital. The only German forces left with any serious offensive capability were holding Bohemia. Beck decided to use 19 infantry divisions concentrated around Pilsen to strike the French defense line northeast of Bayreuth. After breaking through they would pour their forces through the gap in the front and advance towards Würzburg. The plan had some merit, German intelligence estimated that 11 infantry divisions under General Garchery defended the operational area and it was plausible that a breakthrough could be achieved. The General Staff could only see one purpose with the operation and that was to buy more time, but for what? The Generals had been receiving worrying reports of Soviet troop movements the last weeks and every day the conflict continued increased the risk of the red army attacking in the east. Still there was no leader figure emerging among them to oppose the Reich President so they hastily obeyed their orders and drew up the plans for the attack. The Luftwaffe had practically ceased to exist and no armored forces were in any state to support the attack. Accordingly the attack would be straightforward and reminiscent of the strategy of the Great War.
Reich President Ludwig Beck
The French troops in the Bayreuth sector were awakened on the early hours on the 3rd of October by a devastating artillery bombardment that lasted for 5 hours. The French were taken completely by surprise and the German forces quickly broke through and advanced southwestward. French commander General Garchery assured the high command that he would rectify the situation shortly. The Germans’ crippled supply organization slowed their offensive but despite this, Garchery could not live up to his promise and Bayreuth was in German hands by the early hours of the 6th. It was obvious that the situation was turning serious and the Emperor refused to let it affect Operation ‘Tilsit’. He had instructed Italian Field Marshal Cavarello to prepare for a counterattack two days earlier and now ordered him to execute it as the German attacked towards Würzburg. The Italians struck the Germans southern flank on the 7th of October and gained ground fast because the enemy had concentrated his forces in the west. The German General staff immediately aborted the attacks towards Würzburg and started to reposition its forces to hold the small gains they had made. This proved impossible and the German forces were in full retreat by the 8th of October. When reached by the news of the failed offensive, Reich President Beck was reported to have mumbled “It’s all over, it’s all over…” to himself and then withdrew to the Presidential Palace, refusing to see anyone except his closest staff for a week.
The Conquest of Saxony and The End of Slovakia
The second phase of Operation ‘Tilsit’ was launched on the 4th of October. The advance toward Berlin continued and Field Marshal Juin reached Magdeburg after just four days of fighting, effectively expelling all German forces, with the exception of Dresden, from the west bank of the river Elbe. In the south, General Verdillac’s 1st Tank Army assaulted Ruzemberok, the last stronghold of the Slovakian Army. The French were outnumbered but arrogantly assumed their new mechanized formations would sweep aside Slovak resistance. The mountainous terrain was perfect for ambushes and Slovak commander, General Catlos, of course used this to maximum effect. The French were humiliated and forced to withdraw, leaving behind burning vehicles and tanks. It was obvious that Hungarian forces were needed to help dislodge the Slovaks. The capture of Ruzemberok had to be achieved before the invasion of Bohemia could commence. The following two weeks were relatively quiet as preparations were made for the final blows of this long conflict. The Emperor took the opportunity to leave his depressing command bunker in Strasbourg to spend some time with his family and meet with his ministers. Offensive operations were resumed on the 23rd when the Grand Army attacked Dresden. The city fell on the 26th and the French had by then crossed the river Elbe on several points and were driving deep into Saxony. The Germans offered determined resistance but their lack of basic supplies, ammunition and air support rendered their situation hopeless. De Gaulle’s tanks reached the river Oder on the 28th and by then the entire state of Saxony was in French hands. In Slovakia, Field Marshal Bakay advanced on Ruzemberok with nine Hungarian and four French divisions, slowly expelling the enemy from their defensive positions on high ground. The careful planning by the General Staff in Budapest and sufficient strength was paying off and Slovak General Catlos capitulated on the 29th. Slovakia ceased to exist as an independent state.
France Triumphant!
The third and last phase of Operation ‘Tilsit’ was initiated on the 7th of November, the French 2nd Army under General Gentilhomme advanced into Bohemia. The four defending divisions were brushed aside and Gentilhomme could happily report that he had captured the city of Brno on the 11th. It was another hard blow for the Wehrmacht, the loss of the important industrial hub would worsen the already catastrophic lack of supplies. The 2nd Army continued its advance and reached the southern suburbs of Prague on the 16th. It took Gentilhomme’s troops three days to defeat all pockets of resistance and gain full control. The city was badly damaged in the fighting but the Czech populace nonetheless enthusiastically cheered the French as their liberators. With the fall of Prague the stage was set for the final battle in the Franco-German war. Reich President Beck, who had personally assumed command of the defense of Berlin, had the on paper impressive force of 42 divisions at his disposal. In reality, as most other German forces they were in an appalling state and only the famous German discipline and fighting spirit kept them going. France fielded four armies, amounting to 41 divisions, including the Grand Army and the Spanish Expeditionary Army, all under the command of Marshal de Gaulle. The ground forces were supported by the entire French tactical bomber fleet, which would stand unopposed since the Luftwaffe had practically ceased to exist.
The Battle of Berlin
The battle of Berlin started on the 26th of November with the traditional three-hour artillery barrage, which was followed by a massive air bombardment. Then 600.000 French and Spanish soldiers and 2000 tanks were unleashed from North, West and South of the City. The Germans fought bravely but they soon found themselves surrounded, captured or pushed back into the city. The battle raged for a week and the house to house fighting was brutal and savage. Reich President Beck was killed during a French air raid on the 3rd of December. The German General Staff, trapped in Berlin, surrendered the city on the following day.
The news of Beck’s death and the fall of Berlin reached the German Reichstag in Stettin on the afternoon on the 4th of December. The deputies had a stormy session but in the end they reached a compromise and appointed Count Johann Ludwig Schwerin von Krosigk Reich President, who was sworn in immediately. The new chief executive’s first act was to appoint Ulrich von Hassel Reich Chancellor and ordered him to seek peace with France immediately. The German ambassador in Stockholm received instructions from Stettin the next day and met with his French counterpart and informed him that the German Reich was prepared to surrender. The news was received with jubilation in the French High Command. Preparations were hastily made through the diplomatic channels in Sweden and on the 7th of December 1940, Marshal Charles de Gaulle and other senior French officers received Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben and a delegation of German officers in the town of Potsdam outside Berlin. Von Witzleben read a short statement, in which he expressed the German government’s hopes that the victor would treat the defeated with fairness and that both nations would be able to coexist in peace in the future. The Field Marshal then signed Germany’s unconditional surrender. After 14 months of hard fighting the Franco-German war was finally over!
The Franco-German front on the 7th of December 1940
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